American Sniper by Daniel Dilworth
The film chronicles the life of Kyle and picks up pace when the character watches the 9/11 attacks on television. He decides to join the army and soon is shipped off to Iraq. There, he notches up around 160 kills over four tours of duty but his greatest moment comes when he snipes an insurgent sniper from over 2000 yards away.
Cooper does a fine job at his portrayal of Kyle, and Miller does well as the long-suffering wife. As the film goes on, however, it looks less and less like a film worthy of its Oscar-nominations and more like a US Army propaganda video. Kyle’s deployment to Iraq is non-sequitur with the 9/11 attacks – more footage, besides those of the army training, should’ve been included. The ending of the film, featuring a montage of clips from Kyle’s actual funeral and subsequent memorial service, are cringe-worthy above all else. There is also the criticism that Eastwood has created a one-dimensional story with little to no regard for Iraqi characters and even glorifies the violence for the benefit of the proud citizens of Murica.
In short, this is an average film and, should it take the Best Picture award next week, will be a very mediocre winner.